Carr Fire has destroyed more than 650 homes

REDDING, Calif. (AP) – Authorities say a massive blaze in Northern California has destroyed more than 650 homes since it broke out a week ago.

Cal Fire officials said Sunday night the Carr Fire had grown to 95,368 acres, with 874 structures destroyed, 175 damaged and more than 5,000 other buildings threatened by the blaze, which was 17 percent contained by an army of nearly 3,400 firefighters.

The fire exploded on Thursday and took out neighborhoods in Redding, a city about 230 miles north of San Francisco. However, officials say the blaze has slowed down and they expect containment numbers to grow.

The deadly wildfire has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. It has also killed two firefighters and two children and their great-grandmother.

A sixth victim was found Sunday but authorities didn’t immediately release that person’s identity.

Meanwhile, authorities say a firefighter battling a massive blaze near California’s Yosemite National Park died after he was struck by a falling tree.

National parks officials say 33-year-old Brian Hughes died Sunday near the Ferguson Fire line. A statement says Hughes was part of a crew removing brush and other fuel in an area with many dead trees.

Hughes, originally from Hawaii, had been with California’s Arrowhead Interagency Hotshots for four years and reached the rank of captain.

He’s the second firefighter killed battling the flames near Yosemite. Earlier this month, Braden Varney was killed when the bulldozer he was operating overturned. At least seven other firefighters have been injured since the blaze broke out July 13.

Some evacuations have been lifted, but officials say Yosemite Valley will remain closed until August 3.

To the south, evacuation orders have been lifted for several Southern California mountain communities as crews slowly get a handle on a destructive wildfire.

Zach Behrens, spokesman for the San Bernardino National Forest, said Sunday that “substantial progress” has been made on the Cranston Fire east of Los Angeles near Palm Springs. The fire is about 30 percent contained.

A 32-year-old man has been charged with intentionally starting the blaze that destroyed at least five homes.

Officials warn that risks remain in and around the town of Idyllwild in the San Jacinto Mountains.

Residents returning home are warned that many roads in the area remain closed.

Elsewhere, officials have ordered the town of Lakeport in Northern California to evacuate as a wildfire moves toward the Lake County recreation area.

Lake County Sheriff’s Lt. Corey Paulich says the order Sunday brings the number of evacuations in Lake County to about 7,500, up from the previous 2,500.

Paulich says the warm afternoon temperatures have sparked up fire activity and the Mendocino Complex fires continue to move toward the Lakeport area, about 120 miles north of San Francisco